First-floor doorcase at 10 Adelphi Terrace, the Strand, richly ornamented in style typical of Robert Adam. Adelphi Terrace (also known as the Royal Terrace) was a neoclassical block of eleven terraced houses overlooking the River Thames. It was developed by the Adam Brothers between 1768 and 1774 and designed primarily by Robert Adam; its name, 'Adelphi', is Greek for 'brothers'. In the nineteenth century numner 10 accommodated various clubs, including the Crichton Club in 1891-96, after which it returned to residential use, most notably by Mrs Bernard Shaw and her famous husband, who lived here until 1927. It served as the premises of the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1897-1900. In the nineteenth century the back part at 10 Adelphi Terrace was sometimes let separately from the front and was known as 4 Robert Street. The building and Adelphi Terrace no longer exist. In 1927 the Adelphi estate was sold at auction, and in 1936 many of the houses, including the great riverfront terrace and its underground vaults, were torn down and a new Art Deco Adelphi building designed by Collcutt & Hamp erected in their place. The houses were stripped of their fittings and auctions which took place in April and May 1936 included chimneypieces, grates, wainscoting and doors, dado rails, columns and balconettes.
